"We have a long and proud history of investing in Alberta, including several high profile projects in the last few years in places such as Grimshaw, Grassy Lake and Lethbridge," said Kyle Jeworski, Viterra's president and chief executive officer (CEO) for North America. "We have a dedicated team of people across the province which works closely with our farmers to connect them to markets around the world."
The new facility supports a focus on pulse cleaning. This includes a new building capable of cleaning, storing and shipping pulse crops, as well as the cleaning and conveyor equipment to handle pulses and prepare them for export. The company loaded its first cars at the facility with a shipment of red lentils last November.
"Our customer focus is what led us to see an opportunity in Tempest,” said Jeworski. “We have great confidence in the future of pulse production in southern Alberta, and in our farmers to grow the types of quality crops that will support growing demand from our end users. There's a bright future ahead for agriculture, and by working side by side with farmers in Alberta and across Western Canada, we continue to show the world why we're the best at what we do."
Viterra in the past month has also opened two grain terminals in Canada.
The Kindersley facility has 28,000 tonnes of grain storage and 108-railcar loading capacity. It is the sixth elevator the company has operated in Kindersley since building its first elevator there in 1934.
The Grimshaw facility has 30,000 tonnes of grain storage and 104-railcar loading capacity. It is the company's second new build in the region in recent years, having opened a state-of-the-art terminal at Sexsmith in 2010.
